AAWOL update – from Young Lee Hertig

Since the AAWOL sisters started meeting regularly every 2nd Friday of the month, we have seen much growth in our leadership journeys. We celebrated the submission of our collective writing project to InterVarsity Press on April 11th in my backyard. It has been a long journey to finish our project, The Yin and Yang of Leadership: Biblical Characters according to Asian American Women. I enjoyed serving meals for AAWOL sisters because they devoured my simple homemade food. As we enjoyed table fellowship, we developed a tight-knit community and configured all of our God-given gifts. The sheer diversity among the AAWOL women – our personalities and mix of gifts – is enriching!

Several women in the core group have been promoted at work and have received academic awards:

Debbie Gin: Last year Debbie became the Director and Professor of the Office of Diversity at Azusa Pacific University. On April 14th, 2008 she was doubly awarded at Claremont Graduate University where she is currently enrolled in a PhD program focusing on Multicultural Education and Multivocal Identity. The first award was the Tae-Han Kim award, which honors Dr. Tae Han Kim, a graduate of the School of Educational Studies and past president of Kiemyung University in Taegu, Korea. The award is presented to a CGU student who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to respect for humanity and culture. The other award was for Excellence in Higher Education. It is granted to doctoral student finalists in the higher education subfield who exemplify excellence in academic studies, scholarly writing, internship experiences, and extraordinary service to students in the higher education program.

Beverly Chen was promoted last year from Assistant Dean of Students to Associate Dean of Student Health and Wellness. The AAWOL sisters enjoyed celebrating her promotion as Beverly took us out to a delicious Japanese lunch after our regular meeting.